Tag Archives: $10
Calculating Your Odds
Determining pot odds is a crucial part of any poker players game. Many players find it difficult to calculate the odds during the intense moments of battle, but calculating your odds comes down to once simple question; How much money will it cost to keep playing this hand and how much money am I likely to make if I catch the cards I need? Knowing the answers to these questions will save you from just giving away your chips at the poker table. A bit of basic math is required here, but if its your first time, I promise to be gentle.
Okay, to properly explain this we will need a set up hand. You (lets call you Johnny) have just been dealt 10 J and the flop is 2 8 9. The pot is currently 1000 (dollars or chips) and your opponent has just bet 300. With this basic information we must first figure out how many outs you have left. Outs are cards that can help you make a winning hand between whats already in your hand and the flop. You have 2 over cards (10 J), or cards higher than the flop, in your hand, and the deck has three more 10s and three more Jacks, beginning your total outs at 6.
With the flop you now have an open-ended straight (8 9 10 J), meaning that you need either a 7 or a Queen to make your straight. Since we know that there are four 7s and 4 Qs in the deck. That gives us an additional 8 outs for a total of 14 outs.
With a total of 14 outs, we can now calculate your odds by dividing them by the number of cards in the deck, 52. 52/14=3.3, giving you 3-to-1 odds on your hand. This is far less confusing than it sounds. All these numbers mean is that for every 3 times these five cards (10 J 2 8 9) are dealt, you should get one of your outs one time, but whether or not you win the hand depends on how you bet.
Now, lets discuss the bet. Your opponent bet 300 chips so you know have the second part of this equation in order to make a winning bet. You have to call your opponent because he only bet 30% of the pot which means that as long as you have at least 30% of the pot available to call, pot odds are in your favor. But, if your stack is less than 30% of the pot, you should fold and you live to die in another hand. So, to answer the above question; in this example it would cost you 300 chips to call and you could win a 1300 pot. In this instance pot odds are definitely in your favor.
Craps Bets: Learn the House Advantage for Each
Be smart, play smart, and learn how to play craps the right way!
Knowing the house advantage for each craps bet does more for your bankroll and playing enjoyment than anything else. Based on house advantages, some bets are considered “good” (they have a relatively low house advantage) and others are considered “bad” (they have a relatively high house advantage). So, which craps bets are considered “good” and “bad” for the player? The various craps bets with their house advantages are summarized below. I consider bets with house advantages of 2% or less as “good,” those with house advantages greater than 4% as “bad,” and those with house advantages between 2% and 4% as “maybe.” I usually dont make any of the “maybe” bets, but if you do, you wont be giving up too much. Note: “HA” stands for “house advantage.”
Dont Pass, Dont Come (with single Odds), HA 0.69% = Good bet.
Pass Line, Come (with single Odds), HA 0.85% = Good bet.
Dont Pass, Dont Come, HA 1.40% = Good bet.
Pass Line, Come, HA 1.41% = Good bet.
Place 6 or 8, HA 1.52% = Good bet.
Buy 4 or 10 (pay vigorish on win), HA 1.64% = Good bet.
Lay 4 or 10 (pay vig on win), HA 1.64% = Good bet.
Buy 5 or 9 (pay vig on win), HA 1.96% = Good bet.
Lay 5 or 9 (pay vig on win), HA 1.96% = Good bet.
Buy 6 or 8 (pay vig on win), HA 2.22% = Maybe bet.
Lay 6 or 8 (pay vig on win), HA 2.22% = Maybe bet.
Lay 4 or 10 (pay vig up front), HA 2.44% = Maybe bet.
Field (triple for 12 or 2), HA 2.78% = Maybe bet.
Lay 5 or 9 (pay vigorish up front), HA 3.23% = Maybe bet.
Lay 6 or 8 (pay vig up front), HA 4.00% = Maybe bet.
Place 5 or 9, HA 4.00% = Maybe bet.
Buy 4 or 10 (pay vig up front), HA 4.76% = Bad bet.
Buy 5 or 9 (pay vig up front), HA 4.76% = Bad bet.
Buy 6 or 8 (pay vig up front), HA 4.76% = Bad bet.
Field (double for 2 and 12), HA 5.55% = Bad bet.
Place 4 or 10, HA 6.67% = Bad bet.
Big 6 or Big 8, HA 9.09% = Bad bet.
Hard 6 or Hard 8, HA 9.09% = Bad bet.
Any Craps, HA 11.10% = Terrible bet.
3 or 11, HA 11.10% = Terrible bet.
C & E, HA 11.10% = Terrible bet.
Hard 4 or Hard 10, HA 11.10% = Terrible bet.
Hop two ways, HA 11.10% = Terrible bet.
Horn, HA 12.50% = Really stupid bet.
Whirl (World), HA 13.33% = Really stupid bet.
2 or 12, HA 13.89% = Really stupid bet.
Hop one way, HA 13.89% = Really stupid bet.
Any 7, HA 16.67% = Total sucker bet (stop throwing your money away!).
Over 7 or Under 7, HA 16.67% = Total sucker bet (stop throwing your money away!).
Its important to remember that whether a bet is deemed “good” or “bad” is based on many rolls over time. In the relatively short blip of time that you stand at the craps table on any particular day, you may experience a hiccup in the normal distribution where even the worst bets hit one right after the other. For example, suppose you walk up to the table and play your usual conservative game. The table is ice cold at that specific moment and 10 shooters in a row 7-out. The whole time youre losing with your conservative “good” bets, the drunk next to you keeps hitting his “bad” $5 Field bet that only pays double for the 2 and 12. Be assured, this guys hot streak will soon end and then hell lose all his money. You can be sure that time is against him and hell most certainly lose. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but certainly over the next few days. Always give yourself the best chance of winning by making bets with the lowest house advantage.
Now you know! Remember, learn how to play craps the right way.